Old gas works at Mount Stewart, Portaferry Road, Mount Stewart, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT22 2RU(?)

Ruined remains of a c.1850s gas works which formally served the Mount Stewart estate. The gasworks is set on the west side of the Portaferry Road close to the W boundary wall of the Mount Stewart estate. The remains of this gas works now consist of rubble built walls in a ‘U’ shaped courtyard with the remnants of the gas extraction machinery to the E ‘wall’ (the ‘bottom of the ‘U’ shape). This ‘machinery’ consists of a partly brick faced oven-like structure with small kidney shaped openings, presumably for the coal. Directly S of this is a squat square section with battered rubble walls, from which rises a squat square battered and rendered chimney. To the S of this is a slightly shorter square section with a door opening to it N face. The now flat roof of this shorter section appears to be used as a platform for bird watchers etc as it has a commanding view over Strangford Lough. This platform is now reached via a modern wooden open staircase positioned against the high plain S wall. The N wall is lower and partly demolished.